Life is a Gift
by BrandiAlyssa
Summary: Sakura's determined to find out once and for all whether Sasuke loves her or not. A simple gift soon become a race against time for Sakura's life. Can Sasuke find her before the gift disappears? Read and find out.


Here's my try at a Sasuke x Sakura one-shot. Sasuke's a bit OoC, I guess, but he needed to be to fit the story. Enjoy.

**Life is a Gift**

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"That's enough," grumbled Sasuke as he trudged towards his door. His meditation had been interrupted by someone knocking four times already; this was the fifth time and the person was going to be stopped. He pulled his door open quickly, hoping to startle the knocker. "WHAT DO YOU WANT?!" Silence greeted him. There was no one on his doorstep. He turned back to shut the door when a glint from the ground caught his eye. He looked down to see a glass box filled with sakura blossoms resting there, looking fragile in the sun.

Sasuke looked around suspiciously before picking the box up gently and returning inside. He made his way to the kitchen and set the box on the counter. He contemplated the glass and the simple blossoms inside them reached to open it. A clock chimed somewhere in the house. He cursed it; he wanted to open the box, but he was never late to training. It chimed again. Sasuke looked at the unopened box and left.

When he returned that night, things other than the mysterious box crowded his mind; training, for one, but also the behavior of his teammate, Sakura. She had been silent and weaker than usual. She claimed that she had not been able to sleep well after training with Tsunade the night before; Naruto and Kakashi accepted the answer, but Sasuke did not. He knew something else was wrong, but he could not put his finger on what.

He stepped into the spacious kitchen to prepare a simple dinner, slowly removing the jacket he had thrown on, when his eyes found the box again. Sasuke stopped his actions to trail his fingers over the lid. _'Someone took a lot of time to craft this,'_ he thought. He opened the lid gently and inhaled the scent that rose from the box. A slight smile graced his face before it fell in a frown. _'What is this?'_ He watched as the flowers began to wilt at a steady pace. _'There must have been a jutsu on the box that kept them fresh until it was opened.'_ The blossoms were beginning to die and fall apart before his eyes; he watched it in disgust. Who would dare leave an Uchiha such an immature joke? Naruto was the first one to come to mind, but he would have broken the fragile box. A corner of white paper revealed itself as the petals fell from their places. He removed it and opened it to read what a neat hand had written.

_**Sasuke,**_

_**If you're reading this, then you have opened my gift and symbol. I have tried many times to gain that which I seek; you have denied me of it every time. Here is my final question: Do you love me or not? If not you can stay where you are and I shall annoy you no more. But if you do, find me before all of the blossoms die. The gift in itself represents me. The box is my body, fragile and strong at the same time; the scent is my love for you, always present and persistent. And the blossoms, my life. Even as they wither and die, so does my annoyingness. If you love me, find me before it is too late; if not, leave me be and I will never annoy you ever again.**_

_**Sakura**_

Sasuke scanned the letter one last time before taking the box in hand and running. He very much did love Sakura, he always had. Even with her persistent questioning, he ignored her, putting her safety above his feelings for her. Now he was in a race against time to save her. He glanced at the dieing blossoms and cursed silently; half of the fragile blossoms were already dead and the rest were quickly fading. He forced chakra into his legs and went faster; he had to reach her.

He skidded to a stop at her front door and pounded on the wood. "Sakura! SAKURA! I know you're in there!" He tried to open the door; it resisted him, locked. "Damn it! I'm coming in!" Sasuke rammed his shoulder against the door and felt it give; he smashed into it again and the door swung open. "Sakura, where are you?" Sasuke ran through the house and inspected each room; they were all empty. "Where are you?" he whispered. He left the house and thought for a moment. Where else would she go? Where else could she go? Sasuke glanced down at the box and felt his hope disappearing; few blossoms were left. "Sakura…" he breathed, "where the hell are you?" An idea popped in his mind and he took off once more. There were only two other places she would go, the memorial stone and the bridge. The bridge would draw to much attention to her predicament. Again he pushed his legs to their limit and added chakra to speed him on his way. He saw the stone before he reached it; something blocking the front of it. He focused on the object and the realization hit him hard. Pink hair fell across a girl's pale face, her eyes closed.

"Sakura…" was the only word to escape his lips. Sasuke fell to his knees beside her and pulled her against him. Her skin was cold and her chest barely moved against him. "Come on, Sakura, wake up. Open your eyes and look at me." He shook her slightly and received only a faint moan in response. "That's it, wake up for me." Holding her with one arm, he slipped one sleeve of his long forgotten jacket off, and then switched arms to remove it completely. He wrapped it around her icy frame before bringing her back against him. "Sakura, open your eyes, please; I don't want to lose you. I love you, I swear I do, it just took a while to tell you. You're my life now, don't leave me." Sasuke could feel her faint breath tickling his ear; he closed his eyes when tears began to fall. "Please, Sakura, come back to me." He listened as her breathing slowed and faded almost completely. "No…Sakura…" He risked a glance at the box and saw the last blossom fading slower than the others had; there was still hope, even if it was minute.

"I know you can hear me, Sakura, and I want you to listen. I've always loved you, even as annoying as you are. You're what gives me light in my day and guides me through my nightmares. The only reason I came back was because of you; I had nothing else waiting for me here. I love you, Sakura, and won't let you die, not while I sit here and defiantly not alone. So if you're going to die, I'm coming with you; we'll probably go to two different places, but at least we won't be completely separate." His eyes went to the flower once more. A bit of pink was pushing its way among the brown; the bit became a spot that spread to the whole petal. Slowly color spread to all of the petals and they reformed into the blossoms they had been.

Sasuke looked on in amazement; the flowers were reversing time. He moved his gaze to the girl in his arms. Air flowed into her lungs little by little until she was breathing steadily. Color flushed her cheeks and warmth seeped into her arms. Her eyes twitched and opened gradually. She tried to speak, but her voice croaked at the dryness of her throat.

"Shh, let me talk first." Sakura closed her eyes and nodded. "First of all, damn you. I almost lost you in your stupidity, what if I didn't think fast enough or ran fast enough. You would have been dead and I wouldn't have accepted that; you would have forced me to follow. I love you too damn much to let you die alone. There I said it when you're awake and can understand." Sasuke put a finger to her lips when she opened her mouth. "Not yet, you don't get a say yet. I was worried about you after I read your letter. What were you thinking? Your life is a gift; you should never throw it away for a stubborn person, especially if that person is me. I could never resist loving you; I—oh screw it." Sasuke lowered his head and kissed her soundly. Sakura stiffened slightly at his abruptness, but quickly settled into it. She smiled sweetly when he pulled back, only to lean his forehead against hers. "I love you, Sakura." He kissed her gently. "Now what is it you want to say?"

Sakura licked her lips before speaking. "I love you too, Sasuke-kun."

"I knew that and I'm glad. I guess this is as good a time as any." Questions formed in Sakura's eyes as smiles formed in his. "Haruno Sakura, will you marry me and help me rebuild the Uchiha Clan? Will you allow me to love you forever?"

A single tear rolled down her cheek. "Of course, Sasuke-kun, I'll always say yes to that question. Can we go home now?"

"Of course." Sasuke wrapped his arms around her shoulders and under her knees, lifting her easily. "No more stupid stunts like that one."

"The box! I want it back." Sasuke leaned down far enough she could grab the box and stood again. "Thank you, Sasuke-kun."

"Let's go home."

"Yes, let's." Sakura settled her head against Sasuke's shoulder and sighed. "I love you, Sasuke-kun."

"And I love you, _**koishii**_."


End file.
